5 Most Famous Types and Varieties of Broad Beans

The Broad bean is a plant of the Fabaceae family that has been cultivated in the world since time immemorial for consumption by humans and animals.

Broad beans are undemanding plants in cultivation and Spanish beans are known for their undeniable quality. Fava beans do not require a lot of compost, but they do require an adequate supply of potassium and phosphorus.

Sowing can be done directly in the ground, or in lines by sowing three seeds at one time. Some of the most representative varieties of Spanish beans are the following:

Grenadine

The cultivation of broad beans in Granada is a source of pride for farmers, due to the quality of the product. They are juicy, tender and tasty beans. Due to their rusticity, they are easy to grow.

They are sown in December and take a long time to hatch, but they endure cold winter weather, even snowfall. 

With the emergence of spring they grow fast and by April or May we will see the fruits of our work. This variety is intended for consumption in green, but also in seeds, which are large.

It is the favorite dish of Granada on May 25, on the feast of San Marcos, when it is common to consume green beans with dried cod, bread and wine. The same happens in the Cenes de la Vega municipality, where Bean Day has been celebrated for four years.

Sweet or Sevillian water

This variety is of medium precocity and measures more than one meter in height. It is vigorous and has large leaves; Its fruits are long hanging pods that can reach up to 35 centimeters in length.

The leaves have gray-green leaflets on the underside. Its stems, which are robust without branching on the back, are purple and its grains are tan cream.

It is sown in half a year, from September to February, in the ground in drips or blows of up to four seeds every 30 cm, and in lines every 60 cm at a depth of 5 cm. The harvest will take place in 120 to 200 days.

Mahon white and purple

It is the bean most resistant to drought, but very sensitive to frost. It is white and purple , the white one has reddish grains and the purple one has them purplish.

The mahon bean can reach one meter in height; It is used for human consumption and for the consumption of livestock. Has little or no predisposition to stewardship. Its pods, which grow semi-erect, are narrow and have six seeds.

Muchamiel

Early plant of medium size, white flowers with black spots , 15-20 cm hanging pods, toasted cream colored grains and reddish stems. It is the most widely cultivated bean in Spain.

Of Alicante origin (its name comes from the town of Muchamiel in that region of the Valencian Community) it is an early variety destined for greening.

It is also known by the name of quarantine because it is sown in September and in forty days we will have the rich beans on the table suitable for consumption. Its normal vegetative cycle until seed maturity is 200 days. It is one of the most recommended varieties for urban gardens.

Moonlight

New, very precocious variety, to the point that it is the reference for early bean cultivation, as it is capable of bearing fruit in short days, to the point that if we sow it in August we can obtain pods at the end of September.

It is a very sensitive plant , with a very elongated pod, slightly curved, 26 cm long; its color is intense green with 6-7 grains per pod, very sweet.